Action, The

about

English band of the 1960s. They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music. The band were formed as The Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North London. After Peter Watson as additional guitarist joined them, they changed their name to The Action in 1965. The original members were Reg King (lead vocals) (born Reginald King, 5 February 1945, in Paddington, West London), Alan 'Bam' King (lead guitar, vocals) (born Alan King, 18 September 1945, in Muswell Hill, North West London), Mike "Ace" Evans (bass guitar, vocals) (born Michael Evans, July 1945, in Kentish Town, North West London) and Roger Powell (drums) (born July 1945, in Camden Town, North West London). Shortly after their formation, they signed to Beatles producer George Martin's Parlophone Records. "Land of 1000 Dances" b/w "In My Lonely Room" was well received by critics, but sold poorly. None of the Action's singles achieved success in the UK singles chart; their highest charting single was "I'll Keep on Holding On", which reached number 47 in 1965. After disastrous experiences with the Rikki Farr management, Peter Watson left the band in 1966. They continued as quartet, but were dropped from Parlophone in 1967. In the late 1960s keyboardist Ian Whiteman (born in 1945, in Saffron Walden, Essex) and guitarist Martin Stone (born 11 December 1946, in Woking, Surrey) joined the band and the Action moved toward a mid-tempo psychedelic ballad style, and then into folk rock. Reg King

top songs

albums

similar artists